Samsung Galaxy S3 and Ace Duo get Carbon Trust certification

Samsung has announced that it's boosted its green credentials by obtaining Carbon Trust "PAS 2050" certification for its Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Ace Duo smartphones in Europe. PAS 2050 is a standard for measures greenhouse gas emissions of devices throughout their lives.

Samsung had previously gained PAS 2050 certification for its Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note devices. However, the manufacturer notes that the S3's carbon footprint is some 14 percent lower than the S2, owing to fewer raw materials being used in its construction and the inclusion of a more efficient charger, as well as lower emissions during the manufacturing process.

Here's your obligatory "inspired by nature" quote --

“At Samsung, our philosophy is to ‘design for humans’ and be ‘inspired by nature’. So by design our products are not just smart and easy to use, they also strive to achieve the highest environmental standards,” said Bill Skeates, Head of Sustainability, Samsung Electronics Europe. “Yes, our customers want to own a great smartphone, but they also want to be responsible consumers, and the GALAXY SIII helps them to do both. Measuring the carbon footprint helps us to understand the environmental impact of our mobile phones and identify where we can continue to improve. Samsung aims to calculate the carbon footprint for all of its mobile flagship devices.”

We've seen some smartphones boasting their eco-friendly credentials before -- remember last year's Samsung Replenish, for one. But would a more environmentally friendly smartphone sway your purchasing decision? Let us know in the comments.